St. Mark Update

This summer has been an amazing and busy summer.  We had a successful Vacation Bible School.  Becca Honzel was our summer intern and she did a great job.  The youth did an amazing job on their week of service.   There were three baptisms this summer, I just love baptisms.  And sadly, we said goodbye to some beloved members, who made an impact on lives of many people. 

We have had some maintenance work completed over the summer.  Randy Scott has replaced lights on the east side of the building and he continues to work on the outside lighting so all the lights work properly.  The exit signs and the emergency lights have been updated throughout the building.  Stenstrom Blacktop came out and filled some holes in our parking lot.

What is next?  Next week we will have some tree maintenance done on the trees near the clinic.  There are a few dead trees that will come down, several invasive trees that will be removed, and several trees trimmed to provide easier access for the lawn crew. This will give a fresh look to that part of the property.

For the past three years, money has been set aside to cover parking lot maintenance.  It is time to repair the cracks, seal coat, and restripe the parking lot.  This will take place on Monday, September 19^th and Tuesday, September 20th.  There will be limited or no access to the parking lot on those two days.  We ask that you please avoid coming to the church on those two days. 

The tent for SeptemberFest has arrived early, due to staffing.  Just a reminder that SeptemberFest worship is September 11^th at 10:30am, there will be donuts and coffee available at 10am and a BBQ lunch following the service.  You won’t want to miss the concert on Friday evening, September 9^th, at 7pm featuring Bob Rub, Margaret Dean, and the St. Mark Bell Ringers.  There is an opportunity to serve others on Saturday.  Lasagna Love Meal Assembly will take place from 10am until 1pm on Saturday the 10^th, please see Melinda for more details.

I want to thank the amazing staff of St. Mark for their part in making this summer a success.  We are blessed with an amazing staff.  Please join me in welcoming Pastor Chad back this Sunday, September 4^th.  

Peace, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber 

The Right Time

Romans 12:2  Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a youth leader at St. Mark for the last twenty-one years.  I plan to retire October 16th. I am thankful to all my St. Mark family.  I especially want to thank the people I have worked with, the inspiring pastors, all of the staff, the interims, the associates, the council members, the congregation, and most importantly the youth and their families. I’ve learned something from everyone along the way. There have been many supportive people to me over these years. Thank you!

One of my goals has always been that St. Mark reaches outward to our community.  I am thankful for being part of that outreach. I will continue to be involved, and caring about the community and our world.

Thank you to ALL my St. Mark family. You really are family! 

I want to thank my husband Paul for always being willing to help as needed, on youth trips, drive to events, haul supplies, etc.

Now it’s time to join Paul in retirement. We are hoping to ride our bicycles, and travel. We want to spend time visiting our own kids in Minneapolis, Bettendorf, and South Beloit. And we want to spend time with our granddaughter.

I am so grateful for Pastor Chad, he has an incredible heart. I am so thankful for Pastor Katrina she also has such a heart for ministry. With their combined skill set (did you know they both can do anything!) the sky is the limit! With the incredible leadership from our pastors, I feel confident in the future of St. Mark.

I love our youth and all the people of St. Mark. We plan to be here in worship and volunteer and help support the work of the church.

God is good…All the time!

Yours in community and yours in Christ,

Melinda Alekna

Youth Ministry Coordinator

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

 

The Joy of God's Creation!

There is something about the sound of gentle rain.  It is relaxing and peaceful.  Sometimes you can even smell the rain.  After the rain has stopped you can see the tiny drops of rain hanging onto each blade of grass and you can feel the rain dripping from the branches of the trees.  And falling asleep to the sound of rain, there may not be a better sound to fall asleep to.  When I take the time to notice the simple pleasures of God’s creation, I am amazed at God’s handy work.  

Today I woke up in Wisconsin, in a house on a Lake.  When I looked out on the lake I saw some fog rising off the water.  I heard loons calling out from the lake.  And there was a family of ducks hanging out on the dock.  And again, I am amazed at God’s handy work. 

As the sun breaks the clouds and shadows from the trees appear on the grass, it seems as though the earth is slowly waking up.  The lake seems to welcome the warmth of the sun. I feel very fortunate to be here, I love being on a lake.  Many of you know my family enjoys kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boarding, and that is what we plan to do. 

Being near a lake also seems to slow things down.  There is no rush to finish your coffee or your breakfast.  No alarm to get you moving, just a time for rest and renewal.  A time to soak in as much of God’s beautiful creation as possible. 

As I spend time soaking up God’s beautiful creation in Wisconsin, I invite you to find time to enjoy God’s beautiful creation.  I invite you to notice the color of a flower, the shape of leaves on the trees, or the dew on the grass.  I give God thanks for creation and the marvelous wonders we are privileged to enjoy. 

God’s Peace, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

A Week of Service

We began the week of service with a Northern Illinois Synod worship with other churches from the synod and Bishop Clements.  We worshiped outside at Patriots Gateway Center, following the service we played games and shared a meal together.  On Monday we left Rockford to pack meals at Feed My Starving Children in Schaumburg with many other volunteers.  We worked as a team to pack the meals, each of us with a different job to get everything needed for each meal.  During our few hours there, a total of 73 boxes filled which totaled 15,768 meals.  This will feed 43 kids for one year.

On Tuesday, we spent the day at Rock Cut State Park.  We enjoyed kayaking and paddle boarding on the lake and had lunch at Rock Cut.  It was a beautiful day.  Wednesday was a full day.  The youth began their day at Miss Carly’s where they helped bag snacks, unload vegetables from a truck, and had a tour.  In the evening they volunteered at Rock House Kids.  The youth ate dinner with the kids and played games.  The youth really enjoyed playing games with the kids.  I think this may have been the highlight of the week.  We ended with a lock-in at church where we played games, talked about the week, and slept a little. 

I am so proud of the youth for all they did this week.  They embraced the week of service and gave it their all.  We are blessed to have these extraordinary youth represent St. Mark.  

Becca Honzel, our summer intern did a fantastic job connecting with the youth and encouraging them.  She brought energy to each service event.  I think she especially enjoyed waking them up on Thursday morning with some lively music.  I have enjoyed getting to know Becca and watching her grow this summer.  She began the summer with a fun week of VBS and she ends her internship with a week of service with the youth. 

I witnessed God’s work in many ways this week.  The youth did not hesitate to jump in and help.  I enjoyed the week of service and the fun we had.  I even enjoyed sleeping in the basement of the church.  This week has been a blessing to me.  And I will say it again, I could not be prouder of the youth and we are blessed to have these extraordinary youth represent St. Mark. 

Peace, Pastor Katrina Steingraeber  

        

Living the Life Right in Front of Us

Lately, I have struggled to make sense of all that has and is happening in our nation and our world.  I have been angry, sad, disheartened, and at a loss of what to do.  Perhaps some of you are feeling the same way.  I have lit candles and prayed, yet that did not seem like enough.  So, I decided to grab a book from my office as I stepped out to take my son for an appointment.  As I sat waiting for my son’s appointment to finish, I glanced at the contents section of the book titled, Liturgy of the Ordinary, Sacred Practices in Everyday Life, by Tish Harrison Warren.  My first thought was this is not really what I am looking for, but I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading the chapter titled Waking, Baptism and Learning to Be Beloved.    

The first thing that stood out to me was the comment on the ordinary parts of our lives and that there were ordinary parts of Christ’s life too.  “Christ’s ordinary years are part of our redemption story.  Because the incarnation and those long, unrecorded years of Jesus’ life, our small, normal lives matter.  If Christ was a carpenter, all of us who are in Christ find that our work is sanctified and made holy.”  In our small corner of the world, our ordinariness is beloved and made holy.  We can reflect God’s glory in our small, everyday tasks. 

The second thing that stood out to me was no matter our profession or position in life, we all have bodies that get tired.  “Whether you’re Mother Teresa or a stay-at-home mom, whether you’re a revolutionary, a student, or a tax attorney, life is lived in twenty-four-hour days.  We have bodies; we lag in energy; we learn slowly; we wake daily and don’t know what lies ahead.”  With the endless barrage of tragic events happening in our world, I have found myself lacking energy and emotionally exhausted at times.  Living into the ambiguity of our lives and what lies ahead is not easy.  I have found myself living in the moment or the day, and that is okay. 

Finally, “And every new day, this is the turn my heart must make: I’m living this life, the life right in front of me.  This one where marriages struggle. This one where we aren’t living as we thought we might or as we hoped we would.  This one where we are weary, where we want to make a difference but aren’t sure where to start, where we have to get dinner on the table or the kid’s teeth brushed… where we worry about those we love, where we struggle to meet our neighbors and love those close to us, where we grieve, where we wait.”  Living the life right in front of us can be hard or it can be boring and mundane.   Our whole selves, boring and ordinary, exciting or challenging, we are beloved children of God.  That is something that cannot be taken away from us and that brings me peace.  I hope it brings you peace too.

God’s peace, Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

  

Reflections from Synod Assembly

As I have reflected on the Synod Assembly, I find myself filled with joy for the opportunity to be with fellow colleagues and with lay folks from across the Northern Illinois Synod.  This was my second time being a part of an election for the Office of Bishop.  When Bishop Clements was elected I served in a helper role with the election process.  This year I was part of the voting community.  Bishop-Elect Stacie Fidlar was elected to the Office of Bishop in the fifth ballot.  Pastor Stacie will begin her call to serve as bishop on September 1^st and her installation will be on October 8^th at Trinity Lutheran Church in Rockford.  Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will officiate the installation. 

I give thanks for the work of Bishop Jeffrey Clements.  He has served as bishop since 2016.  I am grateful for Bishop Clements wisdom during my time of candidacy.  Bishop Clements officiated my ordination and the installation service of both Pastor Chad and myself.  I wish him well as he prepares for retirement.  I pray for the synod as they begin to prepare for the transition from Bishop Jeffrey Clements to Bishop-Elect Stacie Fidlar.  I ask you to join me in praying for the synod and the bishops.  

I want to express my deepest gratitude to the synod assembly delegates from St. Mark; Marsha and Randy Scott and Laura and Mark Snyder. You represented the people of St. Mark with grace and love for our church and the larger church. Thank you for serving as delegates. 

My favorite part of Synod Assembly is the final worship service.  For me, this is the best way to end the assembly.  We come together to worship and gather around Christ’s table.  In Bishop Clements sermon, as some of you may have already heard me say, he gave us marching orders to Go!  Go to your neighbors for the sake of the world.  And go for the love of God and for the sake of the world.  This has been on my mind since Bishop said it.  I have spent time reflecting on what we at St. Mark do for the sake of our neighbor and our world.  My heart is filled with great appreciation and joy as the VBS kids brought in food for our St. Mark Market that serves our neighbors in need.  I also loved the sound of the change that was poured into the containers last Sunday.  The clinking sound of the changes was a joyous sound of loving our global neighbors through the work of the ELCA World Hunger.  I acknowledge there is much work that we must continue to do for our neighbor and our world.  I am confident that we will continue to do the hard work.

Peace, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber  

What is Pentecost all about?

Pentecost literally means “50”.  Which makes sense since the day of Pentecost is 50 days after Easter.  In the Jewish tradition, Pentecost is the Jewish festival that comes fifty days after Passover.  It originally celebrated the harvest of wheat.  For Christians, Pentecost is about the Holy Spirit.  “Lutherans believe that we come to faith, remain in faith, and live our lives of faith by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  (Lutheran Study Bible pg. 1798) I often think about the Holy Spirit as one who keeps me on track and is not afraid to push me when I need it.  Each week when we proclaim our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed I am reminded of the importance of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.  

In Martin Luther’s explanation of the third article of the Apostles’ Creed, he writes “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead, the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in one common, true faith.”  The Holy Spirit is the one who helps to keep us connected with Jesus Christ.

Pentecost is also a day where the altar paraments are red, the stoles are red, and we encourage folks to wear red to church.  Red is the color of the Holy Spirit.  My ordination stole reminds me of Pentecost.  The dove on it reminds me how at the Baptism of Jesus the Spirit of God descended like a dove (Matthew 3:16).  The reds, oranges, and yellows throughout the stole remind me of the divided tongues, as of fire, that appeared among the disciples (Acts 2:3).  I am grateful for the Holy Spirit, who at times has pushed me and kept me on track.  I give the Holy Spirit credit for getting me through seminary and the Spirit often gets me through sermon writing.  I appreciate the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.  How do you see the Holy Spirit at work in your life? 

Peace, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber